To keep immigrants from fleeing, Florida GOP focus on immigration law loopholes : NPR
By: Vanessa Romo (NPR)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
June 7, 20235:00 AM ET
Vanessa Romo
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Florida lawmakers say SB 1718, a new anti-immigration law set to take effect on July 1, was written to scare migrants from moving to the state. Now, they're trying to convince people to stay. Lynne Sladky/AP hide caption
toggle caption Lynne Sladky/AP
Florida lawmakers say SB 1718, a new anti-immigration law set to take effect on July 1, was written to scare migrants from moving to the state. Now, they're trying to convince people to stay.
Lynne Sladky/AP
Florida Republicans who voted to pass the state's imminent anti-immigration law are trying to curb a potentially disastrous mass exodus of undocumented residents by touting the legislation's many "loopholes."
GOP Rep. Rick Roth, a third generation farmer, told NPR on Tuesday that state Senate Bill 1718, which goes into effect on July 1, was designed to "scare migrants." But he admitted that he and his colleagues were unprepared for the destabilization it would cause among the state's more established immigrant communities.
Roth and a handful of other Republicans, including state representatives Alina Garcia and Juan Fernandez-Barquin, are scrambling to allay fears of job losses or deportation, which they say are already driving workers out of the state.
"It's very dangerous for agriculture. We desperately need more legal workers and this is going to make it worse," he warned.
Among the legislation's many provisions is a new mandate for all businesses with 25 or more employees to run new hires through E-Verify, a database that tracks whether individuals are legally able to work in the U.S.
It also limits social services for undocumented immigrants, allocates millions more tax dollars to expand DeSantis' migrant relocation program, and requires hospitals that get Medicaid dollars to ask for a patient's immigration status. Another provision makes it a human smuggling felony to transport an immigrant who has not been "inspected" by authorities into Florida. The latter is striking deep fear among mixed-status families who may travel across state lines together.
But by delving into the bill's details in public forums, Roth said, he hopes to persuade long-time immigrant residents who already have jobs not to flee the state because the law "is not as bad as you heard."
He added: "The bill really has a lot of loopholes in it that gives you comfort. And the main purpose of the bill is to deter people from coming and to tighten the enforcement in the future."
Had the bill been intended to be fully enforced, it would have included funding for enforcement, according to Roth. "So that's why I'm trying to tell people that it's more of a political bill than policy."
National
Why Florida's new immigration law is troubling businesses and workers alike
During a faith-based event addressing the implications of the new law on Monday, Roth was captured on video urging attendees not to leave the state despite the bill's intimidating language.
"This bill is 100 percent supposed to scare you," Roth said. "I'm a farmer and the farmers are mad as hell. We are losing employees that are already starting to move to Georgia and other states. It's urgent that you talk to all your other people and convince them that you have resources, state representatives, other people that can explain the bill to you."
State Rep. Alina Garcia starts by saying she came unprepared, admits the bill is meant to "scare people from coming to Florida" and irresponsibly lies and says the anti-immigrant law has "no teeth." She should have prepared by actually reading the bill she voted for. https://t.co/LzsV2qgG0Fpic.twitter.com/yHTxNArAR4
— Thomas Kennedy (@tomaskenn) June 5, 2023
At the same event, Rep. Garcia, a Cuban immigrant who arrived in the U.S. as a 2-year-old, said the new law has already "done its purpose" of preventing new arrivals across the state.
"This bill really doesn't have any teeth," she added.
Neither representative addressed questions aboutwhat undocumented workers might do if they were to get laid off from an existing job after the law goes into effect.
When asked about provisions in the bill that would make it a felony for mixed-status families to travel into Florida together, Roth suggested it would be unlikely that anyone would be charged.
"I think people are are extrapolating the situation into the worst case scenario," he said.
Garcia and Fernandez-Barquin did not immediately respond to NPR's requests for comment.
- SB 1718
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LOL, yes it's true the GOP are encouraging illegals to keep breaking the newest DeSantis law.
You cannot make this shit up.
xenophobes apparently have a difficult time drafting coherent legislation...
It seems that the GOP could screw up a one-car funeral.
Seems like a clear violation of the 14th to me.
Big Ron D is the Great White Savior and if you are afraid of the brown hoards overwhelming the boarders of FL you should send Big Ron D all your money for his Presidential Campaign. This message was brought to you by Big Ron D and Friends Afraid of the Brown Hoards.
LMAO
DeSantis loves to say ''Florida is where woke goes to die'' I'm sure that that will be changed to ''Florida is where GOP intelligence is dead''..
I suppose this depend on how well the current and impending court cases go. Most look to be overturned or rendered toothless. I see so much virtue signaling and very little action from almost all of these controversial bills. Those that do stick have the potential of pissing off the electorate enough to vote a few GOP out of jobs.
DeSantis has spent to date over $17 million in tax payer monies on his laws that require fighting numerous lawsuits and the Disney one is just getting started which the state is on the hook for $1200 hour in legal fees.
Yesterday a federal judge shot down his anti-trans bill.
I don't think enough voters are aware of how much bad laws cost a state to litigate and most of these lawmakers are lawyers. They have to know they will be challenged and often overturned. I suppose as long as they continue to get re-elected and they get to live fat on their campaign donor cash its justified.
EDIT: I gotta run. I'll be out of town today getting WiFi access points installed in a new office...
The states should take it out of their campaign coffers.
They have nobody to work the orchards. What did they think was going to happen when they started all this anti-immigrant stuff?
That would require thinking which for the GOP is Florida is dead, Trout.
gee, I guess they didn't think of that until after they passed the law. maybe they can get all the people they kicked off medicaid, all the people that get welfare, and all the kids that need daycare or school lunches to pick fruit.
don't give those slimy bastards any ideas
Or they could get their dead asses out of the chair and do some field work.
The lawn at the Governor's mansion is getting awfully long.
Possibly a few immigrant sheep could be employed.
Ha, I'm sure that DeSantis won't notice since he is traveling outside the state of Florida regularly.
they could turn some horses loose on that grass...that would be fun
"Among the legislation's many provisions is a new mandate for all businesses with 25 or more employees to run new hires through E-Verify, a database that tracks whether individuals are legally able to work in the U.S. It also limits social services for undocumented immigrants, allocates millions more tax dollars to expand DeSantis' migrant relocation program, and requires hospitals that get Medicaid dollars to ask for a patient's immigration status. Another provision makes it a human smuggling felony to transport an immigrant who has not been "inspected" by authorities into Florida."
Can anyone care to explain why this such a bad thing?
You should address your question to Florida state GOP reps Garcia and Fernandez-Barquin.
""I think people are are extrapolating the situation into the worst case scenario," he said."
Yep...no mass exodus happening now nor likely in the future.
First thing is ''I think'' he has no idea at all of what is happening, and if he believes that then why the concern and him saying there are a lot of loop holes?